Trailer looks great. Though I'm a bit surprised that Nolan seems to have taken those overblown, editorially-driven "big event" storylines from the 90s (Knightfall, Cataclysm) as the main inspiration for the story.

I thought about this too; if Gordon-Levitt is supposed to be a version of Dick Grayson/Nightwing, maybe the movie will end with Bruce Wayne dying/becoming paralyzed and Gordon-Levitt's character becoming the new Batman, just like they did with Dick Grayson in the recent "Batman RIP" comic book storyline. (IIRC, didn't Dick become Batman for a while in the original Bane story arc too, after Bane broke Bruce's back?) That way they could do both the "Bruce Wayne sacrifices everything" story and end the movie on a hopeful note, as well as set things up for the future Batman movies.

I thought they were rebooting the franchise. So basically they could have Batman die and the world explode in a nuclear blast and it wouldn't stop the fact that in 5-6 years we'll be plunking down $$$ to see a new version of the Batman origin story.

I thought about this too; if Gordon-Levitt is supposed to be a version of Dick Grayson/Nightwing, maybe the movie will end with Bruce Wayne dying/becoming paralyzed and Gordon-Levitt's character becoming the new Batman, just like they did with Dick Grayson in the recent "Batman RIP" comic book storyline. (IIRC, didn't Dick become Batman for a while in the original Bane story arc too, after Bane broke Bruce's back?) That way they could do both the "Bruce Wayne sacrifices everything" story and end the movie on a hopeful note, as well as set things up for the future Batman movies.

short of something that played out the whole Grayson/Nightwing arc over a couple movies (and even that would have to be done really well to work), the idea of a Batman movie with someone other than Bruce Wayne under the mask can fuck off imo

"fine, we'll let you break batman's back, but you have to offer a new hero at the end while we scream from the rooftops that a reboot is imminent." if it wasn't DC/Warner Bros I'd never believe a studio would follow their biggest hit ever with a sequel that depressing and irrelevant.

There is no way Gordon-Levitt becomes Batman. I wouldn't be surprised if he were either a) turned into a villain or b) killed in this.

I do respect Nolan for apparently stopping the trickle of trailers after this one. No more hints a la "Prometheus"(until some stupid site spoils it for everyone).

Per reboots, at least that trend makes sense in the context of comic book movies. Comics are rebooting all the time. It's not like the reboot of "Friday the 13th" or whatever, totally gratuitous. Comic movie reboots are in keeping with a proud tradition: new artist/writer, new comic.

hope nolan's/dc's bright enough to know finality doesn't necessarily mean offing the lead so much as completing an arc. Bale can just be like "ah, a job well done, time for a nap" after putting Gotham in a happy place. Batman doesn't have to announce his retirement or turn into a franchise or anything. And then they don't have to go to great lengths to say Justice League Batman 2014 has absolutely nothing to do with the dead/retired batman you saw two years ago.

bane will fuck batman up and throw him in a well, then batman will mope in a wheelchair while gotham cries out "why hath the batman forsaken us?," catwoman and JGL search for sad beardo bruce wayne, find him, there's a physical therapy & training montage, some people die, batman lives on with ETERNAL GUILT